Traveling to Puerto Rico is easy because it is considered a hub in the Caribbean for U.S. airlines. Travelers can find direct flights to San Juan from most major airports in the South, such as Dallas, Tampa and Miami. As you begin planning a trip to San Juan, note that U.S. government regulations do not require you to carry a passport for this travel. Please note that this is for travel directly between the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico. If you include another island in your travels, this will take you outside of the U.S. "zone" and you will be required to have a passport.
Traveling to Puerto Rico does not require a passport because Puerto Rico has what is called "commonwealth" status with the U.S. Starting out as a "protectorate" of the U.S., Puerto Rico was not called a "nation" or a "country" but, up until 1953 was considered a colony. Because Puerto Rico is not a country or even a colony, it cannot send officials to engage in international diplomacy or to take part in the U.N. or other global associations.
Figuring out how Puerto Rico fits into the configuration of the United States can be difficult. Being a protectorate, Puerto Rico does not have complete legal status like a state does within the U.S. That said, Puerto Ricans can move to the U.S.and be considered citizens and can be drafted into the U.S. military regardless of where they live. Puerto Ricans can elect a resident commissioner to represent them in the U.S. Congress. However, that same commissioner does not have voting status. Puerto Rico's commissioner has "view only" status, even on matters that directly affect the island and islanders. Puerto Ricans do have a vote, for their island governor; however, they cannot vote in a presidential election even though it is in the U.S. that decisions are made about their future.
Puerto Rico was discovered by Columbus in 1495 and was subsquently settled by the Spanish in 1508. After centuries of Spanish rule and enslavement, it achieved the status of being an autonomous state in 1897, even though Spain still planned to appoint the island's governor. Shortly after, in 1898, the U.S. invaded Puerto Rico and started the Spanish-American War. From that point on, Puerto Rico was considered a protectorate of the U.S. until 1953, when its status was changed to being part of the U.S. commonwealth. As part of the commonwealth, Puerto Rico uses U.S. currency and is part of the U.S. postal system.
Being almost rectangular in shape, Puerto Rico is the largest of the islands considered part of the U.S. commonwealth. Measuring approximately 360 miles/580 kilometers around the coast, Puerto Rico is one of the smaller islands in this particular area of the Caribbean. Puerto Rico is quite mountainous and enjoys many different climatic zones, such as rain forests, desert and beaches. The islands, in addition to Puerto Rico, that are included in the U.S. commonwealth are: Vieques, Culebra, Culebrita, Palomino (called the Spanish Virgin Islands by some), Mona and Monito, which is the largest. There are other islands, but they are isolated and, for the most part, are uninhabited.
